HYDERABAD: Power shortage is back again.

The present demand-supply gap is of the order of 1,000 MW daily but this is likely to go up further due to heavy agriculture load which will reach a peak by mid-March.

The peak-hour (6 p.m. to 9 p.m.) demand from all categories of consumers has gone up, requiring 7,800 MW capacity for generation as against 6,900 MW available to the grid from various sources.

In terms of energy, this means a shortage of over 15 million units per day on average though the Transco and the four distribution companies are able to meet the demand in full throughout the daytime and night except during the peak hours. An unannounced power cut is being implemented in the rural areas while power is being supplied to agricultural pumpsets for seven hours in two spells.

The State is already overdrawing power from the southern grid to the tune of six mu a day at a huge cost. The situation may worsen by mid-March when the total demand is expected to reach an all-time high of 175 mu against 160 mu on Friday.

Hydel stations, especially Srisailam, can help in tiding over the peak-hour crisis but APTransco does not have full control over the matter.

State to blame?

Sources said the shortage could have been avoided but for the government's insistence on maintaining storage of 854 feet in Srisailam with a view to providing water to four lakh acres for rabi crop in Rayalaseema region for the first time. It has permitted release of only 4,000 cusecs a day against the plea of APTransco officials to allow discharge of 16,000 cusecs for power generation.

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